Dueling Affections
by Brandon Taylor
Summary: A new female student, Delilah Rhodes, enters Domino City High School and is instantly taken with Kazuki Muto.  When she finds out that Laura Devlin is his girlfriend, she instantly challenges her to a duel for his affections.  Who will win?
1. Introduction

Yu-Gi-Oh! The Muto Legacy Continues

"Dueling Affections"

A new female student, Delilah Rhodes, enters Domino City High School and is instantly taken with Kazuki Muto. When she finds out that Laura Devlin is his girlfriend, she instantly challenges her to a duel for his affections. Who will win, and will Kazuki be able to make one of the most difficult decisions of his life?

A Storyline by Brandon Taylor

Based upon the original "Yu-Gi-Oh!" created by Kazuki Takahashi

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Dramatis Personae 

Kazuki Muto—son of Yugi and Téa Muto.

Koji Taylor—nephew of Tristan Taylor, and Kazuki's friend.

Hsu Taylor—nephew of Tristan Taylor, and Koji's brother.

Laura Devlin—niece of Duke Devlin, a cheerleader at Domino City High School, and Kazuki's girlfriend.

Sam Devlin—Laura's father.

Helen Devlin—Laura's mother.

Yugi Muto—King of Games (three-time Duel Monsters World Champion) and Kazuki's father.

Téa Gardner Muto—Yugi's wife and Kazuki's mother.

Tristan Taylor—uncle of Koji and Hsu, friend of Yugi and Téa, and World Geography teacher at Domino City High School.

Delilah Rhodes—younger sister of Atticus and Alexis from "Yu-Gi-Oh! GX" and the one who competes for Kazuki's affections.

Joey Wheeler—friend of Yugi and Téa.

Preface 

I don't really know exactly where I got the inspiration for this one. But I can tell you that as I paged through the files of my old computer, I re-found "Enter: The Prince of Games" as my pilot for "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Muto Legacy Continues," and I decided that just the pilot was not enough to create a full series, or even to get people talking about creating a full series!

But this is where I ran into a huge trouble spot. Now that I had Kazuki Muto, and now that he had won two duels against Yugi Muto and Mikey Wheeler, where would the series go from here?

And then, for no particular reason at all, I decided on a female competition episode. After all, you had Rebecca vs. Téa for Yugi in the original series, and Blair vs. Alexis for Jaden in GX, so why not Delilah Rhodes vs. Laura Devlin for Kazuki? Okay, you don't have Blair vs. Alexis yet, but from the moment I saw Blair wink at Jaden, thereby making Alexis jealous, I knew those two were eventually going to compete for his affections sooner or later!

I don't think I'll go into a lot of detail about this, because if somebody from 4Kids saw me writing some kind of love story, he'd have me persecuted—because you know how 4Kids doesn't like love stories. I mean, they didn't have one in "Pokémon," and they didn't have one in either "Yu-Gi-Oh!" or "Yu-Gi-Oh! GX," and as far as I'm concerned, they didn't have one in any of their shows I've watched!

Why am I sitting here babbling and rambling on about nothing? Read and enjoy!

Dedication 

For Alfred R. Kahn, Norman Grossfeld, and Tom Kenney of 4Kids, who did the U.S. dub of both "Yu-Gi-Oh!" and "Yu-Gi-Oh! GX" as well as "Pokémon" and other anime series, but most importantly, for Kazuki Takahashi, who gave me "Yu-Gi-Oh!" in the first place.


	2. Our Story Begins

We begin at Domino City High School, the very high school where Yugi Muto, Joey Wheeler, Tristan Taylor, Téa Gardner, Mai Valentine, Serenity Wheeler, Duke Devlin, and several others held historic duels. Now, however, we find the next generation of Duel Monsters hopefuls on the scene, including Mikey Wheeler (Joey's nephew), Koji Taylor (Tristan's nephew), Laura Devlin (Duke's niece), and the one boy around whom our new chapter of "Yu-Gi-Oh!" shall center: Kazuki Muto, son of Yugi and Téa Muto. It is Monday morning, meaning it is time for first period and World Geography with Tristan Taylor.

"Yes, my friends," said Tristan as several members of the class groaned, "it is once again time for World Geography." He completed his daily roll call and said, "Is there anyone here whose name I did not call?"

Just then, the door flew open.

"Sorry I'm late, Professor Taylor," said a new female student, "but unless I am deeply mistaken, this is the room for World Geography, isn't it?"

"Y-yes, it is," said Tristan, clearly taken aback by this intrusion. "And you are?"

"Rhodes, Professor," the student replied. "Delilah Rhodes."

"Rhodes… Rhodes…" Tristan muttered, looking through his attendance sheet. "No, I'm sorry, young lady, but I don't know any Delilah Rhodes that's supposed to be in this class."

"Sorry, sir," she said. "I just moved into Domino City yesterday, and I didn't know school had already started… you see, where I'm originally from, school starts two weeks earlier."

"Um… right," said Tristan. "Listen, dear, I'm going to need proof that you are indeed supposed to be in this class."

"Not a problem," said Delilah. "Here's my schedule."

"Yes… yes…" Tristan murmured as he perused it. "Well, I certainly see no problem here. You may take a seat."

"Thank you, my dear Professor Taylor," Delilah said, winking at him.

"Um…" Tristan said looking somewhat insecure, as Delilah chose a seat next to Kazuki. But he recovered quickly and began the daily World Geography lesson.

In the lunch period, Kazuki Muto sat down at his table with Koji Taylor, a good friend of his ever since he stood up to Mikey Wheeler and defeated him in a duel.

"No respect!" Koji was shouting. "No respect whatsoever!"

"S-sorry," said Kazuki, "but what do you mean, 'no respect'?"

"Oh, I don't know," muttered Koji, annoyed. "I've been trying to make some friends around here, but no! All they ever say to me is 'Kazuki this' and 'Kazuki that'! The way they talk about you, it's enough to make somebody sick, namely me!"

"Koji, Koji, Koji!" said Kazuki. "Take it easy, man, will you? I mean, I _am_ the one who took out Mikey Wheeler."

"Yeah, but that was because Mikey pushed Laura out of her chair!" said Koji.

"Didn't I also try to defend you?" Kazuki asked.

Koji didn't answer for about a minute. Then he said, "Yeah, you did."

"So why are you upset?" Kazuki wanted to know.

"Oh, I don't know," Koji said again. "I guess I'm feeling kind of messed up, like I don't have any friends."

"Oh, come on!" Kazuki laughed. "You've got me!"

Again Koji fell silent for a minute. Then he said, "Yeah, that's right. Sorry, man, I guess I sort of forgot."

Kazuki and Koji clapped one another on the back.

"Friends forever?" Kazuki said.

"Friends forever," Koji agreed, and they sat back down, just as Laura took a seat next to Kazuki.

"Hey, Kazuki!" she said, giggling.

"Hey, Laura," said Kazuki, quite taken aback. Just then, Delilah joined them and took the other seat next to Kazuki.

"How do you do, Kazuki-poo?" she asked, also giggling. Koji laughed at the cute rhyme.

"Um… fine, I guess," said Kazuki.

"Oh, hey there, Laura!" said Delilah.

"Hello, Delilah," said Laura unenthusiastically.

"I can't believe I'm sitting next to _the_ Kazuki Muto!" Delilah squealed excitedly. "I am a huge, huge fan of yours, and my father was a big fan of your dad!"

"Are you kidding?" said Koji. _"Everybody_ who knew _Yugi Muto_ was a fan of him! Well, that is, unless you count Seto Kaiba."

"I don't like Kaiba," said Delilah. "He's a creep. And that little brother of his, Mokuba? He's just a smaller creep."

"Yeah, that's what Joey Wheeler thought about the Kaibas as well," Koji observed. "Actually, I'm more of a Pegasus fan myself."

"Yeah, Pegasus is all right," Delilah said. "Ever hear of the Industrial Illusions Conference?"

"Oh, my God! The I.I.C.?" Koji exclaimed. "I follow that all the time! Bandit Keith ROCKS!"

"Yeah, Bandit Keith," said Delilah. "You know, after losing the United States Championship to Pegasus in 2001, I thought he was done for, but he's still got it in him!"

"The Industrial Illusions Conference?" Kazuki asked. "Don't they play in the Pro League?"

"Yeah, they're rivals with the KaibaCorp Conference," Delilah said. "Jaden Yuki's in the K.C.C."

"I like Jaden," said Kazuki.

"Yeah, me too," said Delilah. "He's the only one in the K.C.C. I like. So what about you, Kazuki-poo?" she asked, the dreaminess returning to her voice. "Going to join the Pro League yourself?"

"Gee, I never seriously considered it," said Kazuki.

"You might want to think about it, seeing as you're so good!" said Delilah, giggling again.

"Hey, hey, hey!" said Kazuki. "I've only had two duels and two wins! I wouldn't exactly call that 'good'!"

"Oh don't be _silly,_ Kazuki-poo!" said Delilah. "You'll be great! I wouldn't be surprised if _you_ won a World Championship of your own someday, just like your dad!" Then she checked her watch. "Good lord, I've got to run or I'll be late for practice! See you tomorrow, Kazuki-poo!" she said, laughing.

"Er… yeah… see you tomorrow," said Kazuki uncertainly. Beside him, Laura growled jealously.

"'_Kazuki-poo?'"_ she muttered. "Somebody ought to teach that boyfriend-stealer a thing or two!" And without another word, she stood up and stormed out of the lunchroom. Kazuki looked nonplussed; Koji, however, looked positively shocked, as he dropped his fork on his plate of food, pushed it away, and ate no more.

"Wow," he said.

"That can't be good," said Yugi when Kazuki told him about Delilah and Laura that night. "Everybody knows that when two girls start to fight over the same guy, trouble cannot be far behind."

"Trouble?" asked The Kaz.

"Trouble," Yugi repeated. "You see, Kazuki, your mother was not the only one who took a liking to me. There was also a girl by the name of Rebecca Hawkins." And he launched into a flashback about how Téa and Rebecca competed over him.

Kazuki made a noise that sounded like a cat meowing angrily.

"Yes, it certainly created some tension between the two girls," said Yugi. "But after Serenity ran off with Seto Kaiba—much to the displeasure of Joey Wheeler—Tristan Taylor was left sad and lonely, and Rebecca Hawkins gave up on me to comfort him, leaving only Téa to be with me."

"Wow, Dad… that's kind of lovely," said Kazuki.

"Joey Wheeler didn't think so," said Yugi. "He said to Tristan, 'Personally, I'd rather it were you than _rich-boy,'_ which, far from making Tristan feel better, made him cry harder."

"Why are you telling me this?" Kazuki wanted to know.

"Because I believe it is essential for you to understand that the female gender is very mysterious, my son, very mysterious indeed," Yugi replied.

"Tell me about it," said Kazuki darkly. "Well, good night, Dad."

"Good night, my son," said the three-time Duel Monsters World Champion as his son went to his bedroom. "And good night to Joey Wheeler, wherever you are."

At the house of Wheeler, Joey was about to turn in himself. Before he went to bed, Joey said, as if he heard Yugi Muto bid him good night, "Good night, Yuge, old buddy."


	3. The Catfight

"Hey, Laura!" said Kazuki the next morning.

"Oh… hi, Kazuki," said a crestfallen Laura.

"What's up with you?" Kazuki asked.

"It's that _Delilah Rhodes!"_ she exclaimed with a tone she might have used if she were cleaning, and if she were dealing with a particularly tough stain. "She keeps driving me nuts about all this _Kazuki-poo_ stuff! Honestly, if I have to hear that name one more time, I might just crack!"

"How do you do, Kazuki-poo?" Delilah said as she came bursting in right on cue.

"That's it!" Laura shouted. "Who do you think you are, anyway?"

"Easy, Laura!" said Delilah. "No need to get snippy!"

"Who're you calling 'snippy'?" Laura said. "I am not snippy! I am absolutely furious! Who do you think you are, thinking you can come in here and steal my boyfriend?!"

"'Boyfriend,' huh?" Delilah said mockingly. "Ooh! I seem to have touched a nerve. I guess I should just back off, huh?"

"'Touched a nerve'?!" Laura screamed.

"Cat fight!" said a boy nearby.

"I smell a duel coming on!" said another.

"Oho!" scoffed Delilah. "If _that's_ the way you feel, then why don't we have a little duel? You and me, Thursday Afternoon Duel, Kaibadome! Winner gets Kazuki all to herself!"

"WHAT?!!" shouted Kazuki. "How dare you treat me like a trophy?"

"Game on!" yelled Laura, as Kazuki fainted. Koji entered the scene in a run and started slapping Kazuki in the face. Kazuki came to after a few slaps.

"Come on, Kaz!" shouted Koji. "Wake up, man!"

"What's up—with them?" Kazuki said a little groggily. "What's going on?"

"Oh, not much—just Delilah and Laura fighting over whose boyfriend you'll be, and Delilah challenged Laura to a Thursday Afternoon Duel at the Kaibadome, and the winner gets you all to herself."

"WHAT?!!" Kazuki yelled again. "How can they do this to me?"

"Actually, it's pretty natural female instinct," said Koji. "When two girls like the same guy, they usually tend to compete against one another for his affections. And we boys aren't any better, either. We'll fight for girls in the same way."

"How do you know about this?" Kazuki was curious to find out.

"Oh, just something my Uncle Tristan told me," said Koji. "Anyway, Kaz, there's someone here you just _have_ to meet."

So they went to the cafeteria for their breakfast, and Koji called out, "Hey! Hsu!"

The boy called Hsu rushed over to join the others.

"Kazuki, this is Hsu Taylor, my little brother," said Koji. "He just transferred here a week ago. Hsu, this is Kazuki Muto, the Prince of Games."

Hsu gasped upon seeing Kazuki.

"Then it's true!" he exclaimed. "All the rumors I've heard upon entering Domino City! They've been saying Kazuki Muto has arrived in the high school here, and here he is!"

He grasped Kazuki's hand firmly and shook it. "I'm a big fan of your old man Yugi, Kaz, a big fan."

Kazuki blinked. "My father?" he asked. "My father's retired."

"Yeah, but I watch him all the time on the classic sports channel," said the other. "Is it true he is the only duelist to ever defeat Seto Kaiba?"

"Nah, I heard Maximillion Pegasus defeated him once," said Kazuki.

"Really? I thought that was only because Kaiba surrendered!" Hsu replied.

"Yeah, that's a pretty controversial duel," Kazuki said. "Some say he surrendered, others say he lost his life points in battle. I can tell you this, though: After the duel was over, he lost his soul to the Millennium Eye, and Dad had to go and defeat Pegasus to get him back, as well as Kaiba's brother Mokuba, and Dad's grandfather Solomon."

"Yeah… I'm sorry to hear about what happened to Solomon," Hsu said. "Anyway, they say that Pegasus is dying, too."

"That'll be a good thing, when he dies," said Kazuki. "Not that I have anything against Pegasus; far from it! Dad told me a tale about how Pegasus fell deeply in love with a girl called Cecilia, and they were about to be married when she suddenly died at the altar."

"Yeah, Uncle Tristan told Hsu and me about that, too," Koji chipped in. "He was so devastated that he discovered the Millennium Eye and tried to gather all seven Items to try and bring her back to life."

"But then he lost the Eye to some kid called Bakura," said Kazuki, "and that's when he lost consciousness for a while… and when he woke up, he found himself in a mental institution."

"That's a terrible fate to befall anybody, the nuthouse," said Hsu.

"Yeah," Kazuki agreed.

"Gentlemen, I hate to break up this mutual admiration society1," said Koji, "but breakfast period is about to end in five… four… three… two… one."

And with that, the bell rang to signal the end of the breakfast period, and everybody rushed to their first-period classes.

"A duel?" exclaimed Téa. "Between Laura Devlin and Delilah Rhodes?"

"Over you?!" she and Yugi said in unison.

"That's right," said Kazuki. "According to the stakes, the winner gets me all to herself."

"That's no good!" Téa shouted. "You can't duel for a prize such as love!"

"Such a preposterous duel is a complete and total insult to the Heart of the Cards!" Yugi added.

"We should talk to their parents," said Téa. "We cannot allow a duel like this to go on, for the love of our son!"

"I quite agree," said Yugi. "I will talk to the Devlin family."

"And I the Rhodes family," added Téa.

"We'll see if we can straighten this mess out and cancel the duel," said Yugi.

That night, Yugi arrived at Laura Devlin's house. He knocked at the door, which opened to reveal Laura's father.

"Yes? Who is this? What do you want?" he inquired.

"Mr. Devlin, I presume?" Yugi said.

"The name is Sam," said the other. "Samuel Devlin. What business do you have here?"

"I don't know if you are familiar with me," said Yugi, "but my name is Yugi Muto, and I am the three-time Duel Monsters World Champion—"

"I know who you are," said Sam. "And I'm telling you, I don't want or need anything to do with anyone involved in the world of Duel Monsters."

"I know about your daughter and my son!" Yugi shouted as Sam closed the door. But then the door re-opened, and Sam merely said, "Oh. Why don't you come in, then?"

"Thank you kindly, Sam," said Yugi, and he entered the house. Sam closed the door. Yugi took a seat in the guest chair. Sam and his wife Helen took seats on the couch.

"Now, Mr. Muto, what brings you to this house?" Sam inquired.

"Yes. My business in this house. Right," said Yugi. "Well, I have reason to believe that your daughter was involved in an altercation with one of her classmates at Domino City High School."

"An altercation?" repeated Sam.

"Dear me, I hope no one was hurt!" said Helen.

"There was no physical action, I am sure," said Yugi, "but the two of them appear to be fighting over my son Kazuki. From what he has told me, a girl named Delilah Rhodes has challenged your daughter Laura to a game of Duel Monsters in which the winner would apparently keep Kazuki all to herself."

"And what is that to do with us?" asked Helen.

"I know you are not, and do not wish to be, familiar with Duel Monsters, Sam, but I feel I must tell you this," said Yugi. "A duel between two members of the same sex for the affection of a member of the opposite sex is a complete and total insult to the Heart of the Cards—"

"You are quite right in that I do not wish to have anything to do with Duel Monsters," said Sam. "I was under the impression that I told you this previously."

"And _you_ are quite right in saying you did," said Yugi.

"Then what does an altercation between my daughter and a classmate have to do with a belief such as yours?" Sam asked.

Yugi sighed. There apparently was no getting around a man like him. Finally he said, "You're quite right."

"I know I'm right!" Sam exclaimed.

"Then you should at least talk to your daughter and tell her that a boy's affections are a pointless thing over which to fight, or to play a competitive game," said Yugi.

"Why should I?" Sam asked. "Girls will fight over boys, and the same is true the other way around. It is nature, and such a thing cannot be fought." He and Yugi stood up. "So if you're looking to us to stop a game over your son, then I'm sorry, but it simply cannot be done by us." They walked over to the door, which Sam opened to usher Yugi outside. "I am sorry this is how you feel about your son, but there is nothing either I or Helen can do about it, and I am also sorry to say that you and I have no more business together tonight. Good night, Mr. Muto," he said.

"But Sam—" Yugi began, but it was too late: Sam had already closed the door in his face. Defeated, Yugi turned around and walked away, trespassing upon the privacy of the Devlin family no more.

"How did it go with the Devlin family?" asked Téa when Yugi returned home that night.

"No dice," said Yugi. "What of the Rhodes family?"

"Same here," Téa said sadly. "The duel will go on as scheduled for Thursday afternoon."

"I was afraid of that," said Yugi. "Good night, Téa."

"Good night, Yugi," she said as he stalked to his bedroom.

1 A phrase from an episode of "Star Trek" called "The Trouble with Tribbles." "Star Trek" © 1966-2007 Paramount Pictures, Inc. All rights reserved. (Sorry, Mr. Gerrold.)


	4. Opposing Factions

The crowd of students at Domino City High School that Wednesday was split between two factions. One side of students was wearing buttons, hats, and other garments that said things like, "Support Laura Devlin—Kazuki's REAL Girlfriend!" and "Delilah Deceived Samson, Delilah Deceives Kazuki!" The other side of students was laden with garments supporting Delilah, which, needless to say, did not make the decision any easier for Kazuki. Yes, he liked Laura very much—had even kissed her once—but lately Delilah had made moves toward Kazuki that poor Kazuki was unable to resist, and that made Laura even more jealous of Delilah by comparison. Indeed, if the conflict had not reached its breaking point by now, it was soon to do just exactly that.

"Who do you think you are?!" yelled Laura.

"Who do _I_ think _I_ am?! Who do you think YOU are, trying to claim a guy I like?!" Delilah shouted back.

"You creep!" Laura screamed. "I saw him first!"

"Oh, yeah?" Delilah said. "I bet you didn't kiss him!"

"As a matter of fact, I did!" said Laura.

"You little—!" shrieked Delilah. "How _dare_ you?!" And she slapped Laura in the face.

"That's it!" Laura bellowed, and they would have started a fight right there on the grounds had not Koji and Hsu entered the scene between the brawling girls.

"Ladies, ladies, ladies! Save it for the Kaibadome, won't you?" said Koji calmly.

"_You_ save it!" shouted Delilah.

"Yeah!" agreed Laura, apparently forgetting for a moment that she and Delilah were set against one another. "Like you have a bunch of girls fighting over _you!"_

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Koji loudly.

"People, this is not the time or the place—" began Kazuki.

"Don't you get involved, Kaz," said Koji. "You're the reason they're fighting in the first place."

"Oh yeah," said Kazuki. "I forgot…"

And he, Koji, and Hsu trudged off toward the cafeteria among the two opposing factions. Together they got their plates of food, and sat down at a table. But little did they know that they were about to have a brush with fame…

"Hey, kid," said a man who approached their table, addressing Kazuki.

"Who are you?" Kazuki wanted to know.

The man showed him a business card and said, "I'm Mike Adamle… the voice of the Kaibadome."

"I know who YOU are!" shouted Koji. "You're that announcer guy from 'American Gladiators'1!"

"That's who I am, indeed," said Mike Adamle, pleased that someone knew him. "And I think you know Larry Csonka, as well?"

"Isn't he that fullback from the Miami Dolphins?" asked Hsu. "My father's a HUGE Dolphins fan!"

"Right again," said Mike. "Now he's the floor announcer for the Kaibadome. But 'American Gladiators' aside, I want to talk to you about a few things going on at DCHS. I understand that there is currently a rivalry going on between two girls here, by the names of Laura Devlin and Delilah Rhodes. I just wanted to ask you, how did this rivalry happen?"

"Well, Mr. Adamle—" Kazuki began, but Mike cut him off.

"Just 'Mike,' if you don't mind," he said.

"Right," said Kazuki, and started over again. "Well, Mike, I was already involved in a relationship with Laura, and Delilah just arrived at DCHS two days ago, and sat down at the table where Koji, Laura, and I usually sit, and she… er…"

But he blushed and was unable to complete the sentence, but became relieved when Koji saved him.

"Delilah made a move toward Kazuki that made Laura jealous," he said.

"I see," said Mike. "Did she _say_ anything that made Laura jealous?"

"She…" Kazuki said, growing redder in the face by the second. "She called me… _'Kazuki-poo.'"_

He buried his face in his hands, as though he was ashamed of it.

"Thank you, kid," said Mike. "Say, I never got your name."

"Muto," said Kazuki, who by now had stopped blushing. "Kazuki Yugi Muto."

"Thanks again," said Mike.

"And Hsu and I are the Taylor brothers," said Koji. "My name is Koji, by the way."

"I see," said Mike. "Well, I'd better get going. I'll see you three at the Kaibadome!"

And with that, he left Domino City High School to a sea of murmuring.

"You know who that guy _is?"_ said one student.

"That's Mike Adamle!" said another.

"Who's Mike Adamle?" asked Yugi Muto when Kazuki entered the house after school that day.

"Don't you remember?" asked Kazuki. "He did the commentary for my duel against Mikey Wheeler?"

"You'll have to refresh my memory," Yugi said.

"Mr. 'American Gladiators'?" Kazuki said.

"Oh yes… I think my father caught a few episodes of that," said Yugi. "Didn't his partner go by the name of 'Larry Csonka'?"

"The Miami Dolphins fullback!" Kazuki said excitedly. "You DO know Mr. Adamle!"

"Well, not personally," said Yugi, "but I do know who he is."

"Yeah!" Kazuki exclaimed.

"So what did Mike Adamle want with you?" Yugi wanted to know.

"He wanted to talk about the rivalry between Laura and Delilah," said Kazuki.

"I see," Yugi said. "So that duel's still set for tomorrow afternoon?"

"I guess so," said Kazuki, and Yugi sighed.

"I still think this duel for your affections is a great insult to the Heart of the Cards," he said. "I think the decision should be made by you personally."

"Right, Dad," said Kazuki just as Téa entered, carrying a sack of groceries.

"Can you help me unload the car, Kazuki?" she asked.

"I'll be right there, Mom!" he replied.

Later that day, Kazuki went out for a walk in the park, there to meet Koji and Hsu Taylor.

"Kaz, old buddy!" said Koji upon seeing him.

"What's up, guys?" Kazuki asked.

"Waiting for you! What else would we be doing?" said Koji.

"Thank God you guys are here," said Kazuki. "I just had a falling out with Laura."

"Ouch!" said Hsu. "What'd she say, man?"

"She told me that if I had anything to do with that Delilah girl, that it was over," said Kazuki.

The Taylor brothers looked at one another and said together, "Burned!"

"That's gotta hurt, dude," said Koji.

"Yeah, man," said Hsu. "No play for the Prince of Games!"

"Oh, stop it," said Kazuki, just as Laura entered the park and ran toward him in an angry scream. "No!" he shouted as she tackled him down, and Koji and Hsu backed away.

"I hope you're happy, Kazuki Yugi Muto!" she yelled at him. "Playing around with that _freak_ Delilah Rhodes!"

"No—Laura—you don't understand!" said Kazuki, but Laura slapped him in the face.

"If I find one _shred_ of evidence that you were with Delilah, _you won't hear from me ever again!"_ she roared and left the scene in a fit of anger, leaving Kazuki sprawled on the floor, ready to throw up.

"Maybe we shouldn't have said 'burned,'" said Koji.

"Yeah, man," said Hsu. "I didn't see that one coming."

"Get up, man," said Koji as he and Hsu picked Kazuki up off the ground.

"Thanks, guys," said Kazuki.

"Hey, Kaz," said Koji.

"_What,_ Koji?" said Kazuki, a little louder than he expected.

"I just wanted you to know… if Laura dumps you on Delilah's account, you've still got us, dude," said Koji.

"That's right, man," Hsu chipped in. "We're not going anywhere."

"Thanks," said Kazuki again. "So who do you think will win tomorrow?"

"I don't know, man," said Koji. "I mean, in a game of Duel Monsters for affections, everything is relative."

"Yeah," said Hsu. "No man can generalize about the best in the game. And don't believe anybody who thinks he can. In Duel Monsters, anything is possible, especially with the Heart of the Cards involved."

"You believe in the Heart of the Cards, too?" Kazuki asked.

"Of course I believe!" said Hsu. "Uncle Tristan taught me all about it. Told me he learned about it from Yugi Muto."

"Yeah," said Kazuki. "He taught everybody he knew about it, and that's how he keeps winning all his duels."

"Yeah," Hsu said. "Of course, Uncle Tristan didn't do a lot of dueling in his day, but he sure learned a lot."

"How do you do, Kazuki-poo?" said a voice in the park.

"Oh, no," said Kazuki. "Quick, hide me!"

"The bathroom!" said Koji, and they rushed into the boys' bathroom.

"You can't hide from me forever, Kazuki!" called Delilah.

_Well, we'll just see about that, now, won't we?_ Kazuki thought. "Is it safe yet?" he said to Koji.

"I'll go look," Koji replied, and peeked out of the bathroom. Delilah was nowhere to be found—or so it seemed.

"Yeah, Kaz, I think it's safe," said Koji. He, Hsu, and Kazuki left the bathroom. Someone screamed, and Kazuki was tackled to the ground for the second time that day. This time, however, someone was kissing him all over his face—and Kazuki had a very shrewd idea who.

"_There_ you are, Kazuki, darling!" Delilah was squeaking excitedly.

"No—no—get—_off_—me!" Kazuki grunted, struggling as he tried to get away from her.

"What for?" said Delilah as Koji and Hsu burst out laughing at the whole scene. "You're done with that Laura girl, anyway. Why don't you take _me_ instead?"

"Help—help!" Kazuki called to Koji and Hsu, but both of them were still roaring with laughter as Delilah kept kissing him. Finally, however, it was over, as Delilah left the scene, giggling.

"Way to stick up for your friend," Kazuki said darkly as Koji and Hsu picked him up, still laughing fit to burst.

"Sorry, dude," said Koji, "but that was _funny!"_

"Yeah, I might have guessed!" said Kazuki bitterly. "I'm going back home."

"Don't let Delilah get you again!" said Hsu, and he and Koji started laughing again.

"You're late," said Yugi as Kazuki entered the house. "And what is that all over your face?"

"Delilah kissed me," said Kazuki, who clearly looked as though he would dearly have loved to take that moment to the grave.

"So she did," said Yugi. He sighed heavily. "And what's this I hear from Téa about a falling out with Laura?"

"She told me if I had anything to do with Delilah, it was over," Kazuki said solemnly.

"Well, I guess it's over, then, isn't it?" Yugi said.

"I don't know." Kazuki shrugged. "I guess we'll find out tomorrow."

"I'm sure we will," Yugi said as Kazuki went to wash himself.

1 "American Gladiators" copyright 1989-96 by Samuel Goldwyn Television (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer). All rights reserved.


	5. Before the Duel

On the front page of the "Wildcat Tribune-Post" were the words: "SCHOOL DUEL! Laura Devlin VS Delilah Rhodes!" The front page also had a story entitled "Is It Over?" and a picture of Laura slapping Kazuki in the face. Kazuki, Koji, and Hsu were walking down the corridor to the cafeteria, met by several students saying things to Kazuki.

"Who's it going to be, Kaz?" asked one student.

"Laura or Delilah?" asked another.

"Sorry, guys, but my friend has no comment at this time," Koji kept saying.

"KAZUKI MUTO!" roared Laura, stopping the three of them dead in their tracks.

"Oh, great," said Kazuki.

"Don't think I didn't see that _freak_ Delilah Rhodes kissing you all over your face!" Laura screamed. "I have had it with your playing around!"

"No—Laura—you don't understand!" Kazuki said, but this was obviously the wrong thing to say, because the next thing he knew, Laura had shoved him up against the wall. Just then, Tristan bustled on to the scene.

"Laura Devlin!" he called.

At once, Laura turned and saw him, but she did not release her grip on Kazuki's shirt.

"Let him go at once," said Tristan, and she obeyed. "I would never have believed this of you, Miss Devlin," he said. "I would never have believed you would stoop so low as to attempt to manhandle one of my best students in my World Geography class. I am sure you are a model student as well, and I am going to regret having to do this to you, possibly for the rest of my life. I am going to have to do the unthinkable. I am going to have to assign you a detention."

"_What?!"_ said Laura. "How can you do this to me?"

"I did mention it would be a difficult decision, Miss Devlin," said Tristan. "I am very, very disappointed in you. I clearly expected better of you in a situation such as this. Now, regulations clearly state that once a detention has been assigned, it shall be served on the same day after school, except when said detention conflicts with a Thursday Afternoon Duel, in which case said detention shall be served the following Friday after school. I am deeply ashamed of you, Miss Devlin, and I am sorry to have to do this, but such is my duty as a teacher." Then he said to everyone else gathered at the scene, "Move along, people, there's nothing to see here."

So Kazuki, Koji, and Hsu sat down at their table in the cafeteria.

"You know what I think?" asked Koji.

"_What?"_ said Kazuki loudly.

"I think you and Laura are through," said Koji. "She seems to think you're happy with Delilah."

"But I'm not!" insisted Kazuki. "It's _Laura_ I like!"

"Didn't you hear me, Kaz?" asked Koji. "Laura's through with you! If you're smart, you'll start going out with Delilah!"

"I told you, I don't _want_ Delilah!" said Kazuki hotly.

"Kaz," said Hsu. "Listen to my brother. Laura doesn't want you anymore."

Kazuki scowled.

That afternoon, the Kaibadome was not quite as full as it was during the duel between Kazuki and Mikey, but it still boasted a respectable attendance figure, as a select group of Domino City denizens joined a throng of DCHS students and teachers. And in the television booth were our humble announcers, Mike Adamle and Duke Devlin.

"Good afternoon from Domino City," said Mike Adamle. "I'm Mike Adamle with my partner Duke Devlin reporting for 4Kids TV. Welcome to today's duel between Laura Devlin and Delilah Rhodes, a duel that was apparently set when Delilah said things to Kazuki Muto that made Laura jealous, and she had apparently decided that the only way to solve the problem was a duel."

"I'm not entirely sure that was the wisest decision on my niece's part, Mike," said Duke Devlin. "From what I learned from my colleague and friend Yugi Muto, I know that a duel for love insults the Heart of the Cards."

"Heart of the Cards or no Heart of the Cards," said Mike, "yours truly is in for a duel with high anticipation and electricity. And Duke, I know that electricity of this magnitude almost makes you want to join in."

"Let me tell you, Mike," Duke replied. "The electricity in Domino City is through the roof! We have the classic offense vs. defense showdown in today's duel between two very fine female duelists."

"First, let's take a look at Delilah Rhodes' offense," said Mike. "Delilah commands a hard-hitting offense, using female monsters at will. Expect to see an appearance by the Dark Magician Girl. With cards as powerful as that, Delilah's offense will be tough to shut down."

"Yeah," agreed Duke, "but if anyone is up to the task, it'll be my niece Laura and her devastating, unforgiving defense. If she plays the right cards at the right time, not only will she be able to defend her own Life Points, but she has the potential to deplete her opponent's Life Points as well. Keep a sharp eye out for Harpie's Pet Dragon. As long as she has that card on her side of the field, Laura's defense will be a force to be reckoned with."

"The duelists have just finished constructing their Decks, and we're set to duel," intoned Mike. "Let's go down to the duel floor, where Larry Csonka is standing by. 'Zonk'?"

"Thank you, Mike," said Larry Csonka on the duel floor. "I'm with Kazuki Muto, the apparent 'prize' in this duel. I understand you're feeling upset about the fact that these two fine female duelists are attempting to use you as a prize in their duel."

"It's crazy!" said Kazuki. "How they can dare put me on the line on a single game! It's absolute, pure insanity! I'm so upset I could do something I might regret later in life—I'm so upset I might destroy this Kaibadome!"

"Easy there, tiger," said Larry. "I understand that you're upset, but let's not get carried away here. I also understand, Yugi, that you're also upset about the fact that a duel like this insults the 'Heart of the Cards.' Tell me more about that."

"Well, I don't mind that Laura and Delilah are in competition over my son," said Yugi, "but I wish that they didn't have to stoop so low as to create a duel about it. And you're quite right that I'm upset, and this duel is a total insult to the Heart of the Cards. Now, I know that there's nothing I can do to stop it, but I wish they didn't have to go through with it."

"Thank you, Yugi and Kazuki, for that insightful interview," said Larry. "Back to you, Mike."

"Thanks, 'Zonk,'" said Mike Adamle. "And we're set to get underway here at the Kaibadome. Let's send it to our duel floor announcer."

"_Ladies and gentlemen,"_ said the duel floor announcer, _"this Domino City High School Thursday Afternoon Duel is set for 4000 Life Points. Introducing first, from the freshman class, Delilah Rhodes!"_

And onto the duel floor stepped Delilah to applause from some of the Kaibadome crowd, whom she greeted by blowing a kiss, which made some boys go wild over her.

"Ooh, boy, look at her!" said one.

"Yeah, if she wasn't chasing Kazuki, I'd definitely be going after her!" said another.

"_And her opponent,"_ continued the duel floor announcer, _"from the junior class, she is the head cheerleader at Domino City High School, Laura Devlin!"_

Laura stepped onto the duel floor to more applause from the crowd. She raised her hand in acknowledgement and greeting.

"_And now, ladies and gentlemen, our referee,"_ said the duel floor announcer, _"he is the World Geography teacher at Domino City High School, Tristan Taylor."_

More applause rang out as Tristan took the center of the duel floor.

"Duelists, to me," he said.

Laura and Delilah approached him.

"Now, remember this well: First duelist to zero Life Points is out," said Tristan. "I want a nice clean duel. No illegal cards and no illegal plays of cards. Understood?"

"Of course," said Laura.

"Agreed," Delilah said.

"All right," said Tristan. "Good luck, ladies."

"Kazuki is mine, girl," said Delilah.

"We'll see about that," said Laura.

"Indeed we will," Delilah said.

"Duelists to your positions!" Tristan called.

Laura took one side of the duel floor; Delilah likewise claimed the other.

"The start of the duel will not be far off now," said Mike Adamle.

"Ooh, I'm shaking in my blue jeans with excitement, Mike," said Duke Devlin.

"Good luck, Laura!" yelled Kazuki from the seats, but Laura either did not hear him or was pretending not to hear him, for she did not so much as acknowledge his presence.

"You don't even like him anymore, do you?" taunted Delilah. "That'll make it _so_ much easier for me to take him for myself after this duel is over."

But Laura continued to ignore it.

"Duelists, turn and step up to your lines," Tristan commanded.

Laura and Delilah obeyed, facing one another down.

"Activate Duel Discs."

They pushed the "on/off" buttons on their Duel Discs, which came online immediately.

"Load decks."

Two decks of forty cards each were loaded into the Discs.

"Ready."

They drew five cards each.

"Set…"

"LET'S DUEL!" they both yelled.

The crowd roared as the stadium computer came online, showing "LAURA: 4000 LP, DELILAH: 4000 LP."


	6. Laura vs Delilah

"I'll start the game, if you don't mind," said Laura. "I'll place Harpie Lady in attack mode!"

The band played the Domino City High School fight song to announce that the duel had officially begun, and the crowd roared again as the stadium computer lit up "Harpie Lady: 1300 ATK" on Laura's side of the board.

"And I'll play a down card, and that's a turn," said Laura.

"Exactly what I was hoping to hear," said Delilah, "because I have a great counteroffensive. I'll write a new chapter in the Harpie rivalry, by summoning Harpie's Brother in attack mode!"

Harpie's Brother: 1800 ATK

"Attack your _dear_ sister!" Delilah commanded.

"Not so fast!" Laura exclaimed. "Reveal Trap Card: Reinforcements! I'll power up my Harpie Lady, and both of our monsters will now be destroyed!"

Harpie Lady: 1800 ATK: DESTROYED

Harpie's Brother: DESTROYED

"Boy, you really do stop at nothing to win, don't you?" asked Delilah.

"Glad you noticed!" Laura responded.

"Unfortunately for _you,"_ said Delilah, "so do I. I end my turn with Swords of Revealing Light! Now you cannot attack for three turns!"

"Now why would she do that?" asked Mike Adamle in the press box. "She sacrificed her own monster to destroy her opponent's monster early in the duel, and disposed of a great Spell Card early."

"Yeah, usually you see the Swords of Revealing Light later on in the duel," said Duke Devlin. "To a duelist who uses it on the first turn of a duel, I would normally say that's a short term gain and a long term loss, but that might not be the case in this duel. Maybe Delilah Rhodes knows something we don't know, or she knows something my niece Laura doesn't know. But in any case, it's a bold strategy, and we'll see later on if it pays off for her."

_With my offense deactivated,_ thought Laura, _it's time for me to rely on my defense._ "I'll Set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Swords of Revealing Light: 1 turn expired

"I'll also set a monster in defense mode, and that will be it for me," said Delilah.

_I'd better not take any chances,_ thought Laura. _Knowing her, that's either the Man-Eater Bug, or something else._ "I'll Set another monster in defense mode and end my turn here."

Swords of Revealing Light: 2 turns expired

_Hah!_ Delilah thought triumphantly. _Now I've got her right where I want her. Kazuki-poo is as good as mine!_ "Switch defending monster to Attack Mode: Penguin Soldier!"

Penguin Soldier: 750 ATK

"And get a load of its special ability: I can return your two monsters to your hand!"

"_What?!"_ Laura shrieked, but nothing doing—her two defending monsters were sent off the field and back to her hand.

"And I'm not done. Now I sacrifice my Penguin Soldier for another, much more powerful monster: my very own Dark Magician Girl!"

Penguin Soldier: DESTROYED

Dark Magician Girl: 2000 ATK

"And since I sent your two monsters back to your hand," Delilah went on, "my Dark Magician Girl attacks your life points directly!"

"I don't think so!" Laura shouted. "I play a Spell Card: Scapegoat!"

And at once, four Sheep Tokens appeared on her side of the field.

"Oh, _please,"_ said Delilah dismissively. _"Sheep Tokens?_ Is that honestly the best you can do? Because if it is, you might as well just hand Kazuki-poo over to me right now!"

"In your dreams!" yelled Laura. "Besides, you just wait until you see what I'm cooking up! So go ahead and finish your attack, if you dare!"

"Actually," said Delilah, "I think I'll call the attack off, and watch you suffer as you look at what you've done to yourself. My turn is over."

"That's what _you_ think," said Laura. "I'll re-play one of my monsters in defense mode, and that will end my turn."

Swords of Revealing Light: 3 turns expired: DESTROYED

"Now, Dark Magician Girl!" said Delilah. "Destroy the unknown defending monster!"

"Reveal defending monster: Mystical Elf!" replied Laura.

Mystical Elf: 2000 DEF

"Ooh!" Angry, frustrated, Delilah balled her hands into fists. "I'll get you yet, Devlin!"

"We'll see," Laura responded.

"Four turns have gone into the books, and not one Life Point has been lost by either duelist," observed Mike Adamle.

"That's how you know that a duel is going to be great," said Duke Devlin. "The two combatants are dead-locked for quite some time, and then, when you least expect it, one or the other will draw first blood."

"Now I play the Spell Card, Dark Hole!" shouted Laura.

"_What?!"_ shrieked Delilah.

"That's right!" said Laura. "All monsters on the field are destroyed, and that includes my own Sheep Tokens!"

Mystical Elf: DESTROYED

Dark Magician Girl: DESTROYED

"Now it's time for a blitz!" Laura continued. "So I'll summon another Harpie Lady in attack mode!"

Harpie Lady: 1300 ATK

"And now, Harpie Lady: attack her Life Points!" she ordered.

LAURA: 4000 LP, DELILAH: 2700 LP

"I'll put a card face down," said Laura. "That'll do for now."

"As you predicted, Duke," said Mike Adamle, "the first blood of the duel has been drawn when we did not see it coming."

"I certainly didn't see that Dark Hole Spell Card coming, Mike," remarked Duke Devlin.

Meanwhile, in the seats, the question was burning inside of Kazuki's head: _Laura or Delilah?_ He was not having an easy time making the decision. On the one hand, he had liked Laura for a long time, and he still liked Laura now, but knowing her, she did not like him anymore. On the other hand, he had not liked Delilah even though she had taken a liking to him, but if Laura was not speaking to him anymore, he would most certainly have to get used to her. There was no question that the decision was going to be difficult, very difficult indeed…

"Ooh… you'll regret that blatant cheap shot, Devlin," Delilah growled. "I call forth Neo the Magic Swordsman!"

Neo the Magic Swordsman: 1700 ATK

"Attack Harpie Lady!"

Harpie Lady: DESTROYED

LAURA: 3600 LP, DELILAH: 2700 LP

"Hah! Two Harpies down, and one to go!" said Delilah smugly as she placed a card face down on the field. "Seems your little defense is about to crumble!"

"You shouldn't have done that, Rhodes," said Laura angrily. "You should not have done that!"

"Oh?" said Delilah. "And what do you propose to do about it, with two of your precious Harpies in your graveyard?"

Laura did not respond immediately but drew her next card—and after seeing what card it was, squealed in excitement.

"What makes _you_ so happy all of a sudden?" said Delilah.

"Nothing… except doomsday for Neo the Magic Swordsman!" Laura responded. "First, I summon my third and final Harpie Lady to the field in attack mode!"

Harpie Lady: 1300 ATK

"Oh, puh-_leeze!"_ said Delilah dismissively. "That obnoxious thing _again?_ You should know it's no match for my monster."

"Who said I was attacking your monster with my Harpie Lady?" asked Laura. "I now play a Spell Card: Cost Down! With this card, I can summon a Level 7 or higher monster using only one sacrifice! I then reveal my Trap Card: Ultimate Offering! By paying 500 Life Points, I can summon another monster to my side of the field! And the monster I choose to summon is… Harpie's Pet Dragon, in exchange for my Harpie Lady!"

LAURA: 3100 LP, DELILAH: 2700 LP

Harpie Lady: DESTROYED

Harpie's Pet Dragon: 2000 ATK

"And I'll use the effect of Ultimate Offering once more," said Laura, "to set another monster in defense mode!"

LAURA: 2600 LP, DELILAH: 2700 LP

"Got any more?" Delilah taunted.

"No, I think that'll do for now," said Laura. "Now, Harpie's Pet Dragon attacks Neo the Magic Swordsman!"

Delilah laughed. "Gotcha!"

"_What?!"_ screamed Laura. "No!"

"That's right!" Delilah called. "I play the Trap Card: Mirror Force! Your attack is nullified, and all of your monsters in attack mode are now destroyed!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" echoed Laura's scream of agony all across the Kaibadome.

Harpie's Pet Dragon: DESTROYED

"It's over, Devlin!" exclaimed Delilah. "Kazuki-poo is mine!"

"I don't care who you are and how good you are at Duel Monsters," observed Mike Adamle. "To have a good monster on your side of the field, just when you are so close victory, is a devastating blow to any duelist—including Yugi Muto himself."

"I couldn't agree more," said Duke Devlin. "Mirror Force is another card I did not see coming, and would not have seen coming in about a thousand duels."

"A card neither of us could have foreseen, partner," said Mike.

"This duel is over," said Delilah. "First I play the Spell Card, Goblin's Secret Remedy. It allows me to increase either my Life Points or yours by 600. And I'll think I'll add it to _your_ score."

"Thanks, girl," said Laura.

"Oh, don't mention it, dear," replied Delilah, smiling.

LAURA: 3200 LP, DELILAH: 2700 LP

"Now that's as touching a moment as you'll ever see in a game of Duel Monsters," said Mike Adamle. "A duelist giving his or her _opponent_ 600 Life Points and then receiving thanks."

"But that's where the generosity ends… because now I play another Spell Card: Megamorph!" called Delilah. "Since my Life Points are now fewer than yours, any monster to which I attach this card gets his attack power instantly doubled! As there's only one monster in attack mode, I have no choice but to attach it to… my own Neo the Magic Swordsman!"

Neo the Magic Swordsman: 3400 ATK

"And THEN I'll play the Spell Card, Stop Defense!" said Delilah. "This card allows me to take your face-down monster in defense mode and change it to face-up attack mode!"

"_What?!"_ Laura screamed again.

Magician of Faith: 300 ATK

"Now, Magic Swordsman!" commanded Delilah. "Destroy the Magician of Faith!"

"Hold on!" exclaimed Laura. "When you brought Magician of Faith out of defense mode, her special ability activated! I can now take a Spell Card from my Graveyard and add it to my hand!"

"It doesn't matter at this point, does it?" said Delilah. "Your monster is still destroyed!"

Magician of Faith: DESTROYED

LAURA: 100 LP, DELILAH: 2700 LP

"Ooh!" exclaimed Mike Adamle from the press box. "Delilah apparently thought she had a move to finish the duel right then and there, but when the dust settled, she found that Laura is _still_ in the game, hanging on _by the skin of her teeth_ to 100 Life Points!"

"By the skin of her teeth indeed!" agreed Duke Devlin. "But Delilah might have bitten off more than she could chew there, because now that her Life Points are more than Laura's, the reverse effect of Megamorph happens: The original attack power of the monster to which it is attached is cut in half."

Neo the Magic Swordsman: 850 ATK

"_What?!"_ cried Delilah. "What happened?"

"Well, well!" said Laura. "It seems Megamorph has backfired!"

"No!" Delilah exclaimed. "How?"

"When you destroyed my Magician of Faith," Laura explained, "my Life Points dropped all the way to 100, far less than your 2700. According to Megamorph, when the controller's Life Points are more than his or her opponent's, the original attack power of the monster to which it is attached is cut in half!"

"_No!"_ Delilah moaned.

"Oh, yes!" cried Laura. "It's my move! And I'll start by playing Pot of Greed! I get two new cards!"

Pot of Greed: DESTROYED

"Then I'll play Dian Keto the Cure Master," said Laura, "giving me a boost of 1000 Life Points."

LAURA: 1100 LP, DELILAH: 2700 LP

"Next I play… Monster Reborn!" declared Laura. "And I'll use it to bring your own Dark Magician Girl out of your Graveyard!"

"_What?!"_ Delilah shouted.

Dark Magician Girl: 2000 ATK

"Now, Dark Magician Girl attacks Neo the Magic Swordsman!"

Delilah shrieks as Neo the Magic Swordsman and Megamorph are DESTROYED.

LAURA: 1100 LP, DELILAH: 1550 LP

"To end my turn," said Laura, "I'll play the Spell Card known as Emergency Provisions! By destroying my Ultimate Offering Trap Card…"

Ultimate Offering: DESTROYED

"…I gain an additional 1000 Life Points!" she finished.

LAURA: 2100 LP, DELILAH: 1550 LP

"An amazing play!" shouted Mike Adamle. "Laura Devlin has just taken the lead!"

"I can't believe it!" exclaimed Duke Devlin. "What a move! What a play! What a game!"

"My move!" shouted Delilah. "I play my own Cost Down Spell Card! Now I can summon a monster of Level 5 or 6 without offering a sacrifice! And the monster I choose is… Summoned Skull!"

"What?!" screamed Laura.

Summoned Skull: 2500 ATK

"I'm going to regret this… but I'll see you soon," said Delilah, addressing her Dark Magician Girl. "Summoned Skull, attack!"

Dark Magician Girl: DESTROYED

LAURA: 1600 LP, DELILAH: 1550 LP

"Now I play my own Monster Reborn card!" she continued. "This allows me to bring the Dark Magician Girl back to my own side of the field!"

Dark Magician Girl: 2000 ATK

"What are you going to do now, pretty?" taunted Delilah. "Now that I have two monsters on my side of the field, both of at least 2000 attack points?"

"Just this!" Laura responded, undaunted. "I play a monster in defense mode!"

"Is that all?" Delilah laughed. "All right, then, have it your way. Summoned Skull, attack her defending monster!"

"Reveal defending monster, Big Shield Gardna!" Laura reacted. "Your attack fails!"

Big Shield Gardna: 3000 DEF

LAURA: 1600 LP, DELILAH: 1050 LP

"Oh, what a move!" cried Mike Adamle. "That was a perfect play by Laura Devlin to lure Delilah Rhodes into a false sense of security, by playing Big Shield Gardna!"

"That's absolutely right, Mike," said Duke Devlin. "Hey, is it just me, or has this duel started to accelerate?"

"My play!" said Laura. "First, I'll play my Block Attack Spell Card! This allows me to shift one of your monsters to defense mode. And I select… your Summoned Skull!"

"_What?!"_ yelled Delilah.

Summoned Skull: 1200 DEF

Block Attack: DESTROYED

"Sacrifice time!" declared Laura. "I'll sacrifice my Big Shield Gardna…"

Big Shield Gardna: DESTROYED

"…to call forth my Curse of Dragon, in attack mode!" she finished.

Curse of Dragon: 2000 ATK

"Now, Curse of Dragon!" she called. "Destroy Summoned Skull!"

Summoned Skull: DESTROYED

"I think that's all I can do for now," said Laura.

"Timeout!" shouted Delilah.

Tristan blew the whistle and shouted, "Time! Timeout, Delilah Rhodes!" Then, to Delilah, "Thirty seconds."

A buzzer sounded in the arena, followed by the public address announcer's voice: _"Timeout called by Delilah Rhodes."_

"Delilah Rhodes calls her timeout," said Mike Adamle. "Remember, each duelist is allowed one timeout per duel."

"I think she noticed how fast this duel was going, and she wanted to slow it down," remarked Duke Devlin.

Thirty seconds later, the buzzer sounded again.

"That's thirty seconds, Miss Rhodes," Tristan warned.

"Ready," Delilah responded.

Tristan nodded and took the center of the duel floor. Delilah and Laura resumed their positions.

"Let the duel continue on my signal," said Tristan. Three seconds later, he blew the whistle, and the crowd erupted into cheering again. Even the band started playing. But Delilah simply hesitated.

"Come on!" screeched Laura. "What are you waiting for?"

But Delilah, unfazed, drew her card slowly and looked at it. Upon the very sight of it, she squealed excitedly.

"What makes _you_ so happy?" Laura said, confused.

"Kazuki-poo is about to be mine!" squeaked Delilah. "For I play my final spell card: Fissure!"

"Oh, no!" Laura screamed.

"Yes!" Delilah shouted. "Thanks to this card, your monster is destroyed!"

Curse of Dragon: DESTROYED

"And now, Dark Magician Girl attacks your Life Points to end this duel!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" echoed Laura's seemingly never-ending scream as she took the full force of the Dark Magician Girl's attack right in the heart and fell backward to the duel floor, unconscious and unresponsive. The game was over. The final score, which the stadium computer was flashing to the entire Kaibadome crowd, was:

LAURA: 0 LP, DELILAH: 1050 LP

Tristan blew the whistle and shouted: "Winner! Delilah Rhodes!"


	7. Epilogue

The arena horn sounded to signal that the game was over, and the crowd cheered and applauded its approval.

"That's it! The game-winner! This one is history!" screamed Mike Adamle. "Delilah Rhodes has beaten Laura Devlin!"

"What a game," said a downhearted Duke Devlin unenthusiastically.

Kazuki Muto stood up from the seats and stepped onto the duel floor.

"Now you are _truly_ mine, Kazuki-poo!" squeaked Delilah. "Now we can go for dinner, maybe see a movie…"

"No," said Kazuki quickly, who seemed to have at last made his decision.

"_No?!"_ Delilah said.

"No," Kazuki repeated. "You're a great girl, Delilah, I'm sure of it. But you're much too good for me. I'm sorry, but I can't be with you, as my heart belongs to another."

And with that, he walked away, leaving Delilah crying uncontrollably in his wake. He approached Laura.

"Laura—" he began.

"Oh," said Laura loudly and turned away from him. Kazuki, not to be denied any longer, moved in front of her.

"_What—do—you—want—Kazuki—Muto?!"_ said Laura, annoyed.

"Listen—Laura—I was a jerk," Kazuki admitted. "No—I was worse than a jerk. I was a lowdown, no-good creep. And I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

At his words, the annoyance faded from Laura's face, to be replaced by surprise and a hint of excitement.

"Really?" she said softly in a high-pitched voice.

"Really," repeated The Kaz. "So what do you say, Laura?" he asked as he took her hands in his. "Will you take me back?"

Laura gasped, clearly taken aback by this question. Kazuki smiled—he knew Laura knew the answer. Then, finally, she squealed, "Yes!" and kissed him full in the mouth. Kazuki responded with such enthusiasm that he picked Laura up off her feet. Behind them, Delilah was still crying.

"Oh, Kazuki!" she said between sobs, as Koji approached her.

"Hey, Delilah," he said, touching her shoulder. Delilah turned; Koji smiled; they embraced.

"Yes, folks," said Mike Adamle, who had just stepped onto the duel floor and was now ready to start the post-game show. "A lot of touching moments on this duel floor now that combat has ended. Hi again, everyone, I'm Mike Adamle. Welcome to the Duel Monsters post-game show brought to you by Industrial Illusions. I am here with Laura Devlin, the runner-up of today's duel, but it certainly does not seem so in this case. Laura, the stakes were seemingly slated as the fact that the winner of the duel would apparently have Kazuki Muto all to herself, and yet although Delilah Rhodes defeated you while still holding a count of 1050 Life Points, it does not seem as though it worked out _quite_ that way. How do you feel about that?"

"I don't know exactly how that worked out, Mr. Adamle," said Laura.

"Just 'Mike,' if you don't mind, please," said Mike.

"I don't know exactly how that worked out, Mike," said Laura again. "But of course, in our heated tempers, one of us had to _say_ that the winner would get Kazuki all to herself."

"A lie?" inquired Mike.

"A poor choice of words under a stressful situation," replied Laura. "Actually, it was Delilah who put Kazuki's fate on the line, and when I said 'Game on,' I never _truly_ agreed to the stakes, but to the game itself."

"And yet a reliable source tells me that when you seemingly found Kazuki being kissed all over his face by Delilah," said Mike, "you took it upon yourself to confront him, and say that the relationship was over if you found a shred of evidence that Kazuki was playing around with Delilah. Tell me, what exactly was that all about?"

"Again a stressful situation," said Laura. "I tell you, Mike, I would have given anything to be able to call off the duel and get out of stress so quickly, but there was nothing I could do."

Mike paused. "Okay," he said after a few seconds. "Thank you, Laura Devlin, for that… um… _insightful_ interview." He cleared his throat and said, "We'll be back after these messages."

"Kazuki!" Yugi called in his house that night.

"Yeah, Dad?" said Kazuki.

"Someone is at the door to see you," said Yugi.

Out of his bedroom, into the living room, and over to the front door stepped Kazuki. He opened the front door, which revealed Laura Devlin on the other side.

"Hey, Kazuki!" she giggled, who had quite returned to her old self since the duel.

"Hey there, Laura," Kazuki responded.

"So this is your father!" said Laura, who had just spotted Yugi. "I am a big fan of yours, Mr. Muto, a very big fan indeed."

"I get that a lot," said Yugi as they shook hands. "That's what just about everybody says."

"Kazuki?" asked Téa as she walked into the living room. "Oh, hello, Laura!"

"Hi, Mrs. Muto," said Laura.

"Oh, Kazuki, she is _such_ a sweet girl!" exclaimed Téa.

"I quite agree," Yugi said. "If you'd care to stay a bit, Téa is making pizza."

"Sweet!" said Laura. "I'm there!"

"Terrific," Yugi concluded. "I'll call Joey."

"'Joey'?" asked Laura, curious, as Yugi went to the phone.

"Joey Wheeler, one of his friends," said Kazuki.

Yugi had just finished dialing Joey's number, and the telephone started to ring.

"_This is Wheeler,"_ said Joey's voice on the other end.

"Joey?" asked Yugi.

"_Yuge, buddy!"_ said the voice of an excited Joey. _"What's happening, man?"_

"Listen to me, Joey," said Yugi. "Is it possible for you to come to my place?"

"_Why?"_ asked Joey's voice.

"I'll tell you why, Joey," said Yugi. "Téa is making pizza."

"_Say no more, Yuge, I'm there!"_ said Joey's voice.

"Excellent," Yugi remarked. "See you."

The line went dead, and Yugi hanged up.

And so five sat at the Muto dining room table: Yugi, his wife Téa, their son Kazuki, Kazuki's girlfriend Laura, and Yugi's friend Joey. Joey had taken a lot of pizza for himself, much to the exasperation of Téa.

"Boy," she said. "Almost twenty years, and you _still_ haven't changed a bit. You're still the same old Joey from high school."

"Thanks," said Joey. "I try hard to maintain one personality throughout my life."

"That wasn't a compliment!" said Téa.

"Téa!" Yugi said warningly. "So how's Mai?"

"No problem," said Joey. "Thanks for asking."

"You two still haven't set a wedding date?" asked Téa.

"Wedding?" Joey blinked, surprised by this sudden turn in the conversation. "Who said anything about a wedding? Nah, she's just living with me until she can get back on her feet. As for me, I enjoy a bit of the bachelor life, myself."

"But why?" Kazuki asked. "What happened?"

"Burglars," said Joey simply. "Took a lot of her stuff and almost burned her house down. She was lucky Duke got there and put the fire out before the thing crumbled to the ground."

"Duke who?" said Kazuki. "Duke _Devlin?"_

"The same," Joey answered. "Turns out he's a fireman, as well as a commentator."

"I never knew that!" Kazuki enthused.

"Nah, you wouldn't," said Joey airily. "Hardly ever does it by day, does he?"

They continue to eat pizza and chat.

I hate to end the story in such a mundane manner, but I regret to say that I can find no more events on this episode that I can write here. So I'll leave the denizens of Domino City here until NEXT TIME, when I promise the next chapter in the Kazuki Muto saga will begin.

So here I will say: Goodbye from Domino City, and we'll see you next time!

THE END A Brandon Taylor Production 

Text copyright © 2007 by Brandon Taylor.

© 1996 Kazuki Takahashi. "YU-GI-OH!" and all related characters and titles are trademarks of and © SHUEISHA Inc. All rights reserved.


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